Spotting a trend in I/O bridging, Altera has introduced their Arria GX FPGA family along with the latest version of their Quartus II (version 7.1) development software. The company discovered that every embedded system – from medical imaging device or industrial PLC to military radar or sonar – always has some sort of custom I/O. This I/O talks to the system-specific sensor, comms channel, or proprietary hardware. But elsewhere in the system, designers are routinely adding PCI Express, GbE, or Serial RapidIO.

Voila! The Arria GX is a transceiver-based FPGA ranging from 21,580 to 90,220 Logic Elements (LEs), with up to 4.5 Mb memory and sporting 12 transceivers. Supporting two speeds of 1.25 and 2.5 Gbps, the device can realize PCIe (x1 and x4), GbE, and Serial RapidIO (1x and 4x) protocols. Relying on the company’s proven Stratix II GX transceiver technology in 90 nm (meaning: not “bleeding edge”), the Arria GX is intended to be low cost. A 50K LE device sells for $50 in 25,000 unit volume. For defense applications – in either commercial or extended temperature – the Arria GX is ideal when full-featured FPGAs are either overkill or simply cost too much.

Keeping with our low-cost Editor’s Choice theme this edition, FPGA heavyweight Xilinx is one step closer to putting an FPGA in a cell phone with their Spartan-3A DSP. Sharp-eyed readers will wonder why the defense industry should care about FPGAs in cell phones, but the answer is that when FPGAs
are cheap enough and low power enough for cell phones, then they’ll be even more useful in increasingly cost-sensitive (relatively speaking) and portable military systems.

Boasting more than 20 GMACS for under $30, with a claimed 50 percent less dynamic power than other comparable reconfigurable DSP devices,the Spartan-3A DSP “platform” family uses a new Xilinx XtremeDSP slice that can be interconnected in creative ways on-chip. The highest-performing
family member cranks 2,200 Gbps memory bandwidth, and the chip’s DSP48A slices can realize wide math functions, DSP filters, and complex arithmetic – all at reduced power. The Spartan-3A DSP platform has up to 53,712 logic cells, 2268 Kb of block RAM, and 373 Kb of distributed RAM. Of course, Xilinx’s development tools such as System Generator for DSP and AccelDSP synthesis have been updated for the new family.

We’ve all been trained to believe that filters come in two primary flavors: low-cost discrete analog types that drift with time and temperature and full-blown DSP types that are increasingly incorporated in big honking FPGAs with FFT capabilities. But now there’s an alternative: a nifty little mixed signal FIR filter that’s designed to sit between an analog input and an MCU or FPGA. The QF4A512 is available in industrial temperature ranges and designed for use in medical, industrial, military, and myriad other applications. The fundamental architecture of this little guy is shown in the block diagram - and is so obvious that it’s a wonder no one ever thought of it before.

Implementing any common digital filter types such as Lowpass, Notched Lowpass, Highpass, Bandpass, Dual Bandpass, Bandstop, Dual Bandstop, and variations thereof, the key to success is the Windows-based software that allows designers 512 taps per channel to tune their filter to meet the application. From the four independent front-end programmable gain amplifiers all the way through the 16-bit A/Ds and into the programmable filter sections, the user can configure gain, A-to-D sampling rate, power consumption, and output speed. Nearly everything about the device is programmable, making it an ideal way to perform complex - er, make that “sophisticated” - filtering without requiring costly and power-hungry FPGAs. In fact, the back-end SPI interface is designed to bolt up to 8051s. Ti MSP430s. ARM7TDMIs, and anything in between. The QF4A512 is only one of the company’s serveral ingenious devices, and there are development boards, reference designs, and way-cool software tools that’ll even talk to MatLab. We think this device is pretty amazing.

“Cluster computers” are used to replace what have been traditionally known as “big iron” mainframe and super computers. In practice, using tens of even thousands of low-cost CPUs can often rival te horsepower of traditional super computers - if the clusters can be properly managed and kept fed with data. The smart folks at Sandia National Laboratories - one of the federal labs that keeps tabs on nuclear research - have developed a software tool called OVIS that provides real-time, intelligent monitoring of computational computer clusters. Even better, the non-trivial tool is available as open source for free at http://ovis.ca.sandia.gov. OVIS offers a statistical approach to computational platform monitoring and analysis.

Instead of using absolute thresholds for the cluster nodes, OVIS “observes the overall statistical properties and environmental effects, characterizing individual device behaviors and comparing them to a large number of statistically similar devices.” Since clusters don’t all need to be identical, this model works especially well in heterogeneous environments. When nodes deviate from the norm, they are deemed “aberrant” and appropriate steps can be taken. OVIS also allows users to visualize the spatial distribution of a particular characteristic over the entire cluster system and provides XML-based cluster configuration information template. In short, the tool is one way of managing information flow among clusters.

In Web-speak, a mash-up is where two or more websites combine data to create a new set of data and capabilities. Perhaps the best known mash-up is Google Earth, where satellite images can be overlaid on top of 2-D map information, and 3-D perspectives can be added as if one were looking toward the ground at a sideways angle. Similarly, FortiusOne announced a new beta Web service for fast and intuitive map analysis called GeolQ. More than just displaying “pushpin” information on a 2-D map. GeolQ uses colorful heat maps to show data query results and analyses. “How does location A compare to location B?” in terms of any number of data parameters or criteria.

Military uses for this COTS mash-up could include IED or insurgent attack analyses over time plotted on a map of Baghdad, monthly material supplies expended per encampment location, or simply sensor alarms plotted per geographic coordinates. Any combination of overlays is possible, but combining database information with geographical locations provides more meaningful human analysis than simply reviewing spreadsheets or charts. Available in three versions: GeoIQ API for Developers is a robust programming interface; GeoIQ API for Enterprise allows users to combine data from disparate sets of geographic data; and GeoIQ Web mapping allows nontechnical users the ability to instantly start analyzing multiple geographic data sets. It’s kind of like Web 2.0 meets the battlefield.

At the AFCEA West show in San Diego a good percentage of the COTS products on display pertained to military datacom and telecom. That’s why the cPENTXM2 from Thales might be an ideal choice for deployed servers. This 6U CompactPCI blade SBC is complete with Intel’s 1.657 GHz dual core Xeon with 667 MHz FSB and E7520 server-class memory controller hub. The board is functionally identical to the VME-based PENTXM2, giving users the ability to choose their favorite form factor: CompactPCI for rugged and VME for really rugged. This simplifies software development and material logistics.

The scalable SBC can be equipped with up to 4 GB ECC DDR2-400 SDRAM, and the dual GB EEC DDR2-400 SDRAM, and the dual GbE ports routed to the backplane are compliant with PICMG 2.16/VITA 32 (switched Ethernet). The board also supports PICMG 2.9/VITA 38 IPMI management software. Two additional GbE ports, plus two USB 2.0 ports, can be routed to the front panel. Other I/O includes Serial ATA, SXGA graphics, two serial ports, PS/2, and a PMC mezzanine connector. A conduction-cooled CompactPCI version will be available in the first half of 2007.

A songwriter once penned, “starting over is hard to do” (or was that “breaking up is hard to do”?). And watching the TV reality series by the same name, “Starting Over”, is an even more arduous task...

Well now vendor Strategic Test s on the same wavelength as the aforementioned: Their new Multiple Recording option for the UF2 series of PCI-based, 66 MHz oscilloscope/digitizer cards is designed to eliminate annoying hardware restarts between waveforms in radar applications. [Though its 16 MHz Pulse Repetition Frequency (PRF) also makes it a viable contestant in sonar lasers, ultrasound applications, and ordinance detonation events.] The firmware-implemented Multiple Recording option enables cards to re-arm in time for the next event with only four clock cycles, so that no events are missed. External triggering ability and multiple triggers also add flexibility to synch test equipment with other equipment and capture events dictated by other systems.

The Multiple Recording option is available for all Strategic Test’s UltraFast 8-, 12-, 14-, and 16-bit resolution oscilloscope PCI cards but varies by model. The option can be purchased with the card initially or added later.

We all remember Elmer’s glue from grade school days. And who can forget the commercials for Krazy Glue featuring a man suspended in mid-air by his forearms from the surface above him?

While Dynamic Engineering isn’t claiming its new product can suspend a man’s entire body weight mid-air, they are claiming that their new cCIPBMC6U-ET 6U bridged dual PMC carrier can act as a “glue” or bridge between extended temperature CompactPCI boards and PMCs.

While PMC carriers are not the most “eye-catching” product, they are, of course, an absolute necessity for PMC interfacing. Since this carrier features a rugged CompactPCI form factor, the proverbial door is opened even wider to military communications systems designers, giving them the affordability advantage of using CompactPCI COTS boards. The cCIBPMC6U-ET also provides more design choices to users through its differing bus speeds maximizing the number of PMCs that can be used. (The CompactPCI and PMC buses can both run at 66 or 33 MHz.)


Other onorable mentions include an operating temperature range of -40ºC to +85º, signal conditioning, DMA support, and a low-power design: +5, +3.3, +12, -12V, and user-selection VI0 of 3.3 to the PMC.

For years, minimalists have touted the old adage “less is more.” Now it looks like SiliconSystems just may be proving them right: The company recently released a 1.8” form factor version of their SiliconDrive storage device, which will boldly go where no 2.5” form factor has gone before.

Ideal for space-and weight-constrained spaces including in-flight applications, notebook and tablet PCs, and portable medical devices, the 1.8” SiliconDrive provides cutting edge solid-state storage. Of course, that is synonymous with higher levels of reliability and robustness in rugged military applications. And this device is no dummy. It stores a whole 16 GB of storage, as compared to typical rotating media hard drives that provide about 8 GB.

Other pluses of the 1.8” SiliconDrive include SilconSystems’ PowerArmor and SiSMART technologies, which are designed to eliminate the field failures that can result from power disturbances, provide increased security for software IP and application data, and eliminate the need for product requalifications. So do less size and weight really provide more benefits? In this case, we’d have to say yes.

In the world of fast food restaurants “super size” seems to be the order of the day. But in the world of FPGAs, does the same logic apply? Not necessarily. Take, for example, QuickLogic’s new 6 x 6 mm and 8 x 8 mm small form factor versions of their PolarPro and Eclipse II FPGAs. Although larger form factor FPGAs by ALTERA AND XILINX ARE mARKET “HEAVYWEIGHTS”, QuickLogic’s smaller form factor fpgas have the advantage of fitting well into space-and-power-constrained applications: PMC modules, interface boards, or inside remote sensors. They are also extremely useful for control signal handshakes and inerace “mating.”

Other charms of QuickLogic’s smaller FPGAs include the Eclipse II’s low standby currents of 14 μA, while the PolarPro’s Very Low Power (VLP) mode enables a low draw of 2.2 μA, saving battery power. Both devices are also supported by QuickWorks 9.8.2 and System General tools. The Eclipse II QL8150 and PolarPro models QL1P075, QL1P100, QL1P200, and QL1P300 are available at 8 x 8 mm, and the Eclipse II QL8050 comes in a 6 x 6mm FACTOR.

Think of it as a data acquisition Swiss Army knife – one of those ridiculously large ones that even has a fishing pole built in, tucked next to the shortwave transceiver in the handle. Well, you get the idea. The Version 6.5 MultiScope software from DSPCon runs on a PC and provides display power for 32 test and lab instruments on a single PC. “Feature rich” is an understatement for this product. The package replaces oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, data loggers, recorders, pianos (kidding about that last one), and several other instruments.

The GUI desktop works with DSPCon’s Piranha III and DataFlex-1000 products for acquiring, analyzing, and displaying data from up to 32 test channels. MultiScope can display data in Time Series, FFT, Strip Chart, Lissajous, Campbell, Spectrum, and myriad other modes – with up to 32 scopes per user-defined page. And, users can create multiple pages just like “sheets” inside of Microsoft’s Excel environment. The convenience of having one multichannel tool that does it all – on a single PC – with the ability to display, analyze, process, record, and playback is extremely compelling for design and test engineers. Amazing.

So what does tomorrow’s Future Force Warrior have in common with the next-generation UAV? They’ll both be equipped with advanced image processing gear, and they’ll have to do it on a strict power budget. Designed for portable, multimedia applications such as handheld consumer game consoles and video players, the AMD Imageon 2298, 2294, and 2192 media processors might be just the eye-openers needed for tomorrow’s military multimedia systems.

If you envision 3G-enabled cell phones with full-motion video, you’ve captured the right target applications for these chips. They support DVD quality video, image stabilization, high-performance audio, and a color-rich TV output display. They can support up to 12 Mpixel cameras, native
hardware vector graphics, and onboard resolution scaling. The devices talk directly to a host CPU and (cellular) baseband system; they can also directly drive LCD screens up to WVGA and TV-type monitors. Additional inputs accepted include a digital video broadcast from a tuner and an SD
card for storage. Although designed for portable consumer applications, the Imageon series certainly has a home on the battlefield of tomorrow.

InHand Electronics’ BatterySmart software has been shipping in select portable devices used by the military for a couple of years, so the product isn’t exactly “new.” But the company recently received U.S. Patent No. 7,111,179 for “Method and Apparatus for Optimizing Performance and Battery Life of Electronic Devices Based on System and Application Parameters.” We think this honor is indicative of the uniqueness of BatterySmart dynamic power management software, so we are awarding it a belated Editor’s Choice award. The product first gained recognition in handheld PDA-like computers
deployed with U.S. troops and based upon InHand’s Elf and Fingertip small form factor modules, which wowed us at the time of their introduction.

Designed to work with contemporary Intel StrongARM CPUs and their various power management states (called idle modes), BatterySmart can dynamically adjust the CPU clock speed based upon the operating bandwidth requirements of a handheld device. Additionally, the software provides several user-controlled interfaces that allow designers – or the users themselves – to understand how peripherals such as LCDs, PCMCIA cards, or flash cards are impacting battery life. An API in the software allows developers to tune the code to balance platform performance and I/O needs as a function of battery energy. Overall, dramatic power savings are possible with BatterySmart.

Picture this: Ground control, Major Tom, little green men. What image comes to mind? That’s right: Mars, space, the Final Frontier. A truly hostile environment, no matter how glamorous Hollywood makes it out to be. Surviving in space means constant radiation bombardment, temperature extremes, and imperative energy vigilance as batteries charge in sunlight, then go flat in the inky darkness.

Actel’s RTAX-SL FPGAs were designed with just this environment in mind. The new “L” variation of the company’s RTAX line includes the RTAX250SL (30,000 ASIC gates), RTAX1000SL (125,000 ASIC gates), and RTAX2000SL (250,000 ASIC gates) and promises 50 percent lower standby current “than the leading space FPGA at 125 °C.” (We’re assuming they mean a product from “A” or “X.”) The devices use SEU-hardened registers, eliminate the need for TMR, and promise an SEU rate of less than 10E-10 errors/bit-day in worst-case geosynchronous orbit. The devices are also all available in QML Class V per MIL-PRF-38535.

In electric shop during my childhood, I built my first project power supply out of an old MIL-SPEC power supply. I remember vividly the mombo fuses that thing had because every time I was careless with the leads: Pop! I fried one of them. Those suckers musta been 0.5" diameter and more than 1.0" long. My, how times have changed. Today you can surface mount a 125 V/15 A subminiature fuse that’s about the size of Lincoln’s head (see photo).

The 465 Series Littelfuse devices are RoHS compliant and offer 20 A and 30 A ratings in 0.397" (10.10 mm) x 0.123" (3.12 mm). Even more impressive are their interrupting ratings of 100 A at 125 Vac and 300 A at 65 Vac, respectively. Designed for overcurrent protection in space-constrained applications, they’re ideal for vehicle-mounted military comms and telemetry equipment that relies on “shore power” but must fit into suitcase-size cubbyholes.

How many times have you tried to use that fast Wi-Fi pipe out on your porch, patio, or deck – only to find that the sunlight washed out your laptop’s display so badly that it was illegible? Me, too. Now imagine how this affects soldiers and Marines in the Middle East – whether they’re dismounted, under sun shades, or in HWMMVs. That’s why General Dynamics Itronix invented the DynaVue all-light viewable touchscreen display. A manufacturer of rugged laptops, notebooks, and Tablet PCs, Itronix deploys its portables into all kinds of battlefield conditions – including bright sunlight.

Focusing on contrast ratio and polarization techniques, the patent-pending light filtering technology increases the display’s contrast ratio to provide rich color saturation and improved fine detail visibility. With a single cold cathode fluorescent backlight lamp, the computer saves battery power because the display requires less energy to maintain sunlight readability. General Dynamics Itronix says DynaVue will debut on the company’s next-gen computers.

Besides courage and guts, the military relies on communications equipment – from extremely rugged to civilian COTS gear. The 1U rack-mount PL-01039 from WIN Enterprises is a security server/switch with eight GbE ports. The 2.0 GHz Dual-Core Xeon LV/ULV processors run two Ethernet modules, one powered by the Intel 82571EB (four ports) and the other by the Intel 82573L (four ports). There’s also a 32-bit PCI connector, Mini PCI socket, a USB 2.0 port, and an RS-232 port.

But the heart of this system is the security element. The PL-01039 can run multiple security apps, including IDS/IPS, firewall, VPN gateway, Unified Threat Management (UTM), anti-spam, anti-virus, and several other security profiles. Available with copper, fiber, or mixed media, the unit also has its own onboard battery and can run three hours without external power.

Though designed for notebook computers, NVIDIA’s Quadro professional GPU architecture is ideal for power-constrained military boards and systems that create intense graphics workloads. Borrowing from the company’s recent Quadro FX 5600 and FX 4600 workstation GPUs, three new mobile chips carry over the Shader Model 4.0 and uniform feature set. All the devices are aimed at engineers, scientists, artists, and other users of large datasets, models, and high-res images.

The unified architecture is capable of dynamically allocating compute, geometry, shading, and pixel processing power. Shader Model 4.0 adds next-gen vertex and pixel programmability with ultra-realistic OpenGL and DirectX 10 effects. The NVIDIA CUDA technology aids in solving complex visualization problems, and the PowerMizer 7.0 technology is the company’s seventh-generation hardware power management feature set that brings lower power consumption and longer battery life to portable systems. It all adds up to kick-butt realistic images and displays in defense applications.

The AdvancedMC card – used on AdvancedTCA and MicroTCA platforms – is turning into quite the mezzanine for communications connectivity. Originally designed for telecommunications applications, AdvancedMCs are appealing to the military primarily because of their COTS status and myriad networking options. If rugged MicroTCA gains traction in defense, AdvancedMCs such as Mercury Computer’s Ensemble MPC-102 might be coming to a TOC or AWACS near you.

Based on the Power Architecture dual-core Freescale 8641D, the MPC-102 offers Serial RapidIO or PCI Express connections to the carrier card, along with four GbE connections (two to the panel and two to the AdvancedMC connector), a SATA port, and dual RS-232 connections. With up to 10 Gbps raw I/O bandwidth on Serial RapidIO and the on-the-fly processing afforded by the 1.3 GHz PowerPC and 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM combo, the module is ideal for networking applications that process radar or sonar data.

NSA-encrypted red/black systems are without a doubt the most secure systems on the planet – they have to be. Trouble is, all the rest of the DoD’s equipment might literally include computers and peripherals purchased off the GSA from Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Radio Shack, and other civilian COTS suppliers. That’s the benefit of COTS, folks. But there’s still the problem of lost laptops, unencrypted files, malware, forgotten passwords and cookies, and all the other crud that affects our personal computers every day. So Lavasoft, a recognizable name in the anti-spyware business, has created a trio of digital protection tools that apply to DoD users just as well as consumers.

Sure, you can do some of these same functions with open source tools like Eraser or TrueCrypt, but Lavasoft’s are commercial-grade COTS packages that are designed for utility and ease of use. The Digital Lock – File Encryptor product includes multiple encryption algorithms such as AES standard 256 bits, multilayered encryption, shredding after encryption, and an e-mail security channel. File Shredder’s drag-and-drop features work with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, videos, and other multimedia files, and has some tricks to work with Windows Vista. And the Privacy Toolbox combines both products into one. A 30-day trial is available on Lavasoft’s website.

The race for more cores is on. AMD and Intel are leap-flogging each other with more cores, then more cores per watt, then … well, wait and see. Rugged suitcase computer provider NextComputing has jumped into this foray with AMD’s native quad-core Opteron. Operating at 55 W Average Computing Power (ACP), AMD’s 2347 HE will be the CPU of choice for all of NextComputing’s flextop suitcases, including: NextDimension Pro and Pro HD, Evo and Evo HD (think it’ll smoke the tires?), and the ruggedized Vigor (is it just me, or do these all sound like models from The Fast and the Furious?). Since too much is never enough, each suitcase can be equipped with up to two quad-core CPUs – wonder if eight is enough?

The modular suitcases are designed for performance-hungry tasks in military/intelligence, simulation, or other C4ISR applications where portability, modularity, and multiple I/O options are paramount. The AMD Opteron has a floating point unit for each core and the ability to power-down major functional blocks to save juice. On the suitcase side, models such as the Evo HD can include up to seventeen 2.5" SATA drives, up to 16 GB DDRAM, internal DVD R/RW, up to four PCIe/PCIx64 expansion slots, boatloads of I/O, and even up to 1 TB of internal RAID. Multiple 10/100/1 GbE/10 GbE and monitors can also be accommodated.

When it comes to field-deployable computers, you’ve usually got two choices: sealed, single-purpose boxes or huge rack-mounted assemblies that require a trailer wrapped around them. Or, there’s the Multi Processor Unit (MPU) COMx from Z Microsystems. This open architecture modular unit allows up to seven hot-swappable processor modules with either AMD or Intel CPUs – and you can mix and match as desired. Each module can accommodate two sealed TP2 disk drives and up to 4 GB of RAM.

Based on PICMG’s COM Express standard of interoperable modules, the box can house dual hot-swappable AC or DC power supplies. One can even add optional PCI Express modules with enhanced graphic capabilities to take advantage of Z Micro’s C4ISR GUI software. The 65-pound box can operate over 0 to 50 ˚C, boasts a 10-year operating life, and even allows for field replaceable fans – an ideal feature in fine-sand desert environments. Networking and remote management are also possible.

Human factors studies show that military operators can only handle so much information before becoming overwhelmed. The situation is exacerbated when under stress, despite best-in-class training. Instead, what’s needed is to use more of the intelligence embedded in intelligent machines such as image processors. That’s the intention behind GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms’ ADEPT5000 image processing subsystem. Designed to operate with a wide range of physical sensors, the unit clearly is ideal for rugged and mobile deployed applications such as in-vehicle or front-line TOCs.

Through algorithmic data extraction processes, the unit aggregates sensor inputs to enhance operator decision making. For instance, ADEPT5000 can use scene change detection, moving target detection, or contrast detection – all of which can alert an operator to take action instead of expecting the operator to blindly stare at an unchanging screen for hours, often missing subtle action due to sheer console fatigue. Flashing graphic symbols are used to alert operators, and picture-in-picture enhancement, recorded snapshot action, and audible alarms all seek to enhance the operator’s decision making. And since the unit aggregates multiple sensors, it is truly a force multiplier beyond what a single sensor might normally provide.

Many new COTS ICs – processors, peripherals, and interfaces – include native PCI Express (PCIe) pinouts. That’s all well and good until your server or embedded system needs to bridge between onboard PCIe or route lanes between boards. Then the reality hits you: A switch is needed. IDT’s PCIe Gen2 switches, announced earlier this year, simplified the job dramatically. But in high-density server applications or in sensor-critical embedded installations, the company realized that “burst mode” operation might be handy.

Offering the ability to double PCIe’s rate from 2.5 Gbps to 5.0 Gbps for cutting-edge designs will move data around a system at “double time” (to use the military cadence vernacular), which also has the nifty benefit of allowing a 50 percent reduction in the number of PCIe lanes and board traces necessary in cost-sensitive designs. For military systems, this translates to lower PWB costs and higher reliability, especially in conduction-cooled boards. IDT also claims industry-leading performance-per-watt and “lowest total power consumption” – we’ll have to take their word for that for now. Four versions are available: a 24-lane, 6-port; a 24-lane, 3-port; a 6-lane, 6-port; and a 4-lane, 4-port.

Many defense systems rely on FPDP – or the serial version called SFPDP – to transmit low-latency data from sensor to processor. Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing’s (CWCEC’s) FibreXtreme SL100/SL240 mezzanine modules boast four SFPDP channels and are available in PMC (PCI) or XMC (PCIe) flavors. There are two versions of the boards: One supports 1 Gbps data rates and the other 2.5 Gbps. With the tap wide open, each channel can sustain 247 MBps to SFPDP distances up to a staggering 50 km.

Using an Altera Stratix II GX FPGA for line processing, the FPGA’s transceivers can scale up to 6 Gbps for lots of future headroom. In addition, embedded DMA controllers offload the host CPU and can blast up to 6 MB of data before toggling a CPU interrupt. Onboard data processing also includes register byte/word swapping (Big Endian, anyone?) plus myriad other preprocessing functions that designers might pour into the FPGA. The VITA 17.1-2003 link communications protocol is included, and extended temperature and conduction-cooled versions are also available.

Known for its PICMG-compliant, Intel-powered rack-mount servers, RadiSys is gearing up to bring its servers a bit closer to the front lines. The Procelerant RMS420-5000XI (rolls right off the tongue) packs twin Intel Xeon quad-core CPUs (E5335 @ 2.0 GHz or E5345 @ 2.33 GHz), a 1.3 GHz FSB, and eight memory slots (up to 32 GB) in a svelte air-cooled chassis measuring 7" x 17" x 19.6" (H x W x D). Weighing only 44 pounds, the box is ideal for environmentally controlled installations such as trucks, command shelters, or quick-deployed reach-back installations.

The unit runs off of 100 to 240 VAC (50/60 Hz), and includes five USB 2.0, VGA/DVI, PS/2, AC 97 audio, and two GbE ports. Of course, this is a server, not a PC so there are four drive bays, three PCIe slots (1 x16, 1 x8, and 1 x4), plus two PCI-X 100 slots. RadiSys offers suggestions for dual graphics cards to turn the box into an image processing unit. The server is pretty much a commercial temp device that operates over +5 ˚C to +45 ˚C, but the company provides altitude derating criteria – suggesting that operation in wide-bodied aircraft such as AWACS, E2C, JSTARS, or Rivet Joint was a design criteria. Finally, the Procelerant can withstand nonoperating temperatures of -30 ˚C to +70 ˚C, with a 5 ˚C per minute maximum excursion gradient. We think this is just RadiSys’s prelude of a family of ruggedized, embedded servers.

The gazillion gate highly integrated FPGAs from companies ranging from A to X offer performance to spare but come with a heavy power penalty. Although VME boards have ample power budgets of up to 100 W these days, that power has to be dumped into the system somehow. If you can save power, why not do it? That’s the intention of QuickLogic’s QL8150 Eclipse II FPGAs. Designed for light-density logic applications such as handheld devices, they’re also ideal for fixed-function interface controllers on VME basecards, PMC mezzanines, active backplanes, and chassis front panels.

With 188,946 maximum gates and 640 logic cells in a 32 x 32 logic array, this small 8 x 8 mm footprint BGA package uses only 196 fine-pitch balls. Power consumption varies, but think battery powered, and you’re in the right realm. The devices are designed to operate over a -40 °C to +100 °C temperature range, so deployment in conduction-cooled VME chassis should be no problem.

The DoD’s Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) is a huge program that has boatloads of software at its core. Of primary importance are the SCA core framework and the portable waveforms that must work on myriad equipment while interoperating with older, hard-wired radios. Therefore, writing code for JTRS equipment can be a real nightmare. At least, that’s the problem that Zeligsoft is trying to solve with its Component Enabler (CE) 2.4. This JTRS development tool helps software designers determine the usability of their software components in the field, and verifies compliance against the SCA.

CE 2.4 takes into account the target hardware deployment platform that the JTRS radio will ultimately run on. It also allows designers to write code and then iterate that code to balance the metrics of JTRS compliance, hardware choices, and waveform interoperability. Because of the iteration capability, the product speeds development, aids in the test phase, and ultimately saves costs.

Also available in CE 2.4 are modeling, validation, and runtime analysis capabilities. Multiple application views are intended for teams working on different portions of the overall code set, while keeping track of the overall combined set of software modules. A validation feature links to SCA validation and the latest version of the SCA specs, flagging rule violations. Writing and validating code for a JTRS radio will never be easy, but Zeligsoft’s Component Enabler makes the task easier.

Even though solid-state media such as CompactFlash or solid-state disk drives are commonplace in small-form-factor embedded systems, newer and larger formats such as EPIC and Mini-ITX may rely on rotating magnetic disks. Often based upon 2.5" IDE notebook computer drives, sensitive data can sometimes fall into the wrong hands. To protect the data in these embedded systems, full-disk encryption software can be highly effective.

WinMagic’s SecureDoc software is designed to encrypt an entire disk while employing secure user authentication during a computer’s pre-boot sequence. This pre-boot authentication is unique and can
utilize multi-factor authentication such as a combination of password, hardware token (such as a USB or other key), biometrics (such as a fingerprint reader), and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). Although not necessary, when combined with silicon hardware capabilities such as Trusted Platform Computing, an embedded system’s sensitive data is securely locked down and encrypted. SecureDoc is bundled in Toshiba notebooks sold in Japan.

WinMagic
www.winmagic.com
RSC #29706

Until the new 3U VITA 46 slim VME form factor becomes a reality later this year, 3U CompactPCI is still the format of choice for retrofitting space-constrained defense systems. With ample I/O capability and a nice size that fits well into ATR boxes and some SEM-E envelopes, 3U CompactPCI is an ideal choice. Aitech Defense Systems agrees, to which their C900 MPC7447A/7448-based PowerPC SBC can attest. Screaming along at 1.167 GHz with AltiVec signal processing support, the board includes up to 1 GB of DDR SDRAM complete with ECC. (Aitech is big into space-based apps, so you’d expect they’d include ECC or other provisions to deal with radiation effects).

The board also includes 64 MB of user flash and a whopping 1 GB of NAND flash for program stores. There’s also a thoughtful 128 kB NVRAM for application variables and 32 MB of boot flash. A Marvell MV64460 Discovery III chipset offers a PCI-to-PCI-X bridge. There’s also a PMC mezzanine provision, as well as a bunch of I/O options. Two GbE ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and up to eight discrete I/O channels (or four RS-422 serial channels) round out the “goes-innas and goes-outtas.” As you’d expect from Aitech, air- and conduction-cooled versions are available. Betcha they’d even make you one that’s rad-hard.